Since the POV notice was issued, Gramercy Operation’s safety and health history has included 64 Mine Act 104(e) withdrawal orders and four 103(k) orders in response to significant accidents. These accidents include the severe burns of four miners from caustic material while performing maintenance activities, a contractor suffering a severe injury while hydro-blasting during maintenance, another contractor sustaining an injury after falling from scaffolding and a fatal caustic burn. MSHA is currently investigating the fatal burn accident that occurred at the mine on Aug. 4, 2024, when a miner performing maintenance activities died after suffering severe chemical and thermal burns because of an opening in the floor that contained caustic liquid.
On Oct. 7, 2024, Assistant Secretary Williamson sent a letter to Atlantic Alumina’s president and principal owner of Atalco Gramercy, outlining MSHA’s significant concerns about the mine operator’s disregard for mandatory standards and the safety and health of miners. That same week, MSHA’s administrator for mine safety and health enforcement and its Dallas district manager met with Atalco Gramercy management to discuss the mine operator’s plans to improve working conditions at the mine. The meeting also included international and local officials from the United Steelworkers.
An impact inspection was performed over two days, Oct. 28 and 29, 2024, and identified 60 violations of mandatory safety and health standards, including 24 S&S violations and 23 104(e) orders. Four 104(e) orders were also determined to be unwarrantable failures to comply with a mandatory safety or health standard.
Specifically, inspectors found the following conditions:
- Multiple locations throughout the mine with accumulations of caustic liquid, exposing miners to chemical burn hazards.
- Areas with caustic liquid not blocked off to prevent access and workers traveling through those areas without protection.
- Accumulations of other materials in work areas without a way for miners to safely access those areas, exposing miners to potential slip, trip and fall hazards, as well as fire and electrical hazards.
- Defects on various pieces of equipment, unsafe high-pressure hose connections and inadequate training.
- Instances where dangerous conditions were not corrected before equipment was energized.
These findings indicate a range of systemic safety failures that exist at Gramercy Operation. Caustic material and other hazards have been previously identified and immediately abated through MSHA enhanced enforcement. However, these same hazardous conditions continue to exist between inspections, severely and fatally injuring miners, and were discovered again during the October 2024 impact inspection. These repeated failures to comply with MSHA standards, which unnecessarily jeopardize miners’ lives, are troubling and underscore the need for corporate officers, managers and all employees to commit to improving the safety and health culture at the mine.
McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.
Original article published by MSHA